The man who said he was God
The authorities sent guards to arrest Jesus, they came back without him. Their excuse: ‘We never heard anybody speak like he does.’
He was becoming very popular, developing a bigger following than ever before; but then he became offensive. The very people who had been attracted to him picked up stones to throw at him.
His claims were atrocious: he said he was sent from God, that God told him what to say and to do. He even alienated his followers by saying that they were slaves to sin and he would set them free.
Why do it? Why alienate the people who were beginning to believe in him?
“You are ready to kill me, a man who has told you the truth.” said Jesus. This young 33 year old man was speaking somewhat sadly. He valued truth above popularity, He had brought this treasured gift to the people and they would not accept it. For telling the truth he was to be killed. But even if the truth alienated it must be spoken, because no one else could tell them the truth about God, only Jesus, because he had been with God.
One thing would convince them: his death and resurrection. Only when Jesus had died could they understand that just as he brought truth he also took away sins. Only by his resurrection did they have God’s confirmation that what he had said was indeed truth. Jesus spoke of his death using scripture-code language so hard to understand that the people scarcely paused in their arguments.
Introducing the question of sin into a religious conversation does tend to alienate the listeners. Because he was the only one who could choose to carry away the world’s sins by transferring all guilt onto himself, Jesus could not be silent on the subject. Because he had come to show people what God was like Jesus must impress on the people listening, that he had been with God and had brought God’s message. He finally angered the crowd beyond their limit of tolerance, he told them that he had been in existence before Moses and he applied to himself the divine title, “I AM” The message was delivered, and after his death some of the people understood.
The gospel of John: chapter 8,verses 19, 28 & 29, 36-38, 40, 42, 58
Daniel: chapter 7 verse 13
He was becoming very popular, developing a bigger following than ever before; but then he became offensive. The very people who had been attracted to him picked up stones to throw at him.
His claims were atrocious: he said he was sent from God, that God told him what to say and to do. He even alienated his followers by saying that they were slaves to sin and he would set them free.
Why do it? Why alienate the people who were beginning to believe in him?
“You are ready to kill me, a man who has told you the truth.” said Jesus. This young 33 year old man was speaking somewhat sadly. He valued truth above popularity, He had brought this treasured gift to the people and they would not accept it. For telling the truth he was to be killed. But even if the truth alienated it must be spoken, because no one else could tell them the truth about God, only Jesus, because he had been with God.
One thing would convince them: his death and resurrection. Only when Jesus had died could they understand that just as he brought truth he also took away sins. Only by his resurrection did they have God’s confirmation that what he had said was indeed truth. Jesus spoke of his death using scripture-code language so hard to understand that the people scarcely paused in their arguments.
Introducing the question of sin into a religious conversation does tend to alienate the listeners. Because he was the only one who could choose to carry away the world’s sins by transferring all guilt onto himself, Jesus could not be silent on the subject. Because he had come to show people what God was like Jesus must impress on the people listening, that he had been with God and had brought God’s message. He finally angered the crowd beyond their limit of tolerance, he told them that he had been in existence before Moses and he applied to himself the divine title, “I AM” The message was delivered, and after his death some of the people understood.
The gospel of John: chapter 8,verses 19, 28 & 29, 36-38, 40, 42, 58
Daniel: chapter 7 verse 13
posted by Jessie Coates at 12:18 AM
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